Pakistan rejects Afghan media claims of strikes on university, homes in Kunar

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information on Monday dismissed reports in Afghan media alleging that Pakistan had attacked a university and residential areas in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, calling the claims false and misleading.

In a post on X, the ministry shared a screenshot of a social media post by Afghan outlet Tolo News, which had claimed that Pakistan carried out attacks on Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University and nearby residential areas.

The ministry described the allegation as a blatant lie and said it was an attempt to generate sympathy while concealing support provided by the Afghan Taliban to Fitna al Khawarij, the term used by the Pakistani state for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban to eliminate militant sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP. According to officials, those requests have not been acted upon.

The ministry said Pakistan’s actions were part of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, which it said was launched on the night of Feb 26 after what it described as unprovoked cross-border attacks by the Afghan Taliban.

Rejecting the specific allegation regarding Kunar, the ministry said no strike had been carried out on Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University and termed the reports frivolous and fake.

Pakistan’s targeting is precise and intelligence-based.

The ministry also accused Afghan media of spreading false reports to obscure support for militant groups and proxies such as Fitna al Khawarij, and said such claims were then amplified by Indian media.

The pattern is a page of the old playbook where Afghan media creates fake news to cover up the support to terrorist groups and proxies like the Fitna al Khawarij and gets amplification from Indian media. Truth prevails over falsehood.

In a separate post, the ministry shared a screenshot of another X account that repeated the claim of strikes in Kunar. Calling it fake propaganda, the ministry said the continued circulation of what it called phantom strike claims by Afghan media and officials, backed by Indian propagandists, showed that the Afghan Taliban regime had little to offer its citizens in terms of service delivery, welfare and governance and instead relied on misinformation and hate.

The ministry further said this propaganda showed that the only thing the Afghan Taliban had learned from their Indian propaganda masters was lies and false flag operations.

“Such pathetic antics and vile accusations are absurd. It should, however, be clear that as part of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, whenever and wherever Pakistan strikes the Afghan-based terror infrastructure, it will be as per previous actions, well declared, fully owned and backed by precise evidence of targeting terror support infrastructure.”, the statement read.

The ministry’s statement came in response to the Afghan media reports alleging strikes on civilian-linked sites in Kunar, which Pakistan has categorically denied.